Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas of the lower extremity: a distinct subset of squamous cell carcinomas

Background: Some patients develop a disproportionate number of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) on their lower extremity (LE).

Objective: We sought to characterize the clinical features, treatment, and outcome in patients who develop multiple LE SCCs.

Methods: We identified 22 patients with 4 or more biopsy-diagnosed LE SCCs during a 4.5-year study period. The location, size, treatment, and clinical outcome of each LE SCC were recorded.

Results: Of the 22 patients studied, 18 were female. Of the 360 SCCs our patients developed, 260 (72.2%) were on the LE. The incidence of SCCs in these patients was nearly 7 times greater than the incidence of basal cell carcinoma in the same patients.

Limitations: The number of patients is small and limits definitive conclusions about prevalence of SCCs on the LE in the general population.

Conclusions: LE SCCs are a distinct subset of cutaneous SCCs and may have distinctive clinical features and biologic behavior requiring additional study.